


In a World You Don't Know

by IrreverentFangirl



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Alternate Dimension, Alternate Pairings, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Coldflash Week 2015, Dimensional Travel, F/M, M/M, mentioned character deaths, singularity - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-14
Updated: 2015-09-14
Packaged: 2018-04-20 20:11:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,034
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4800689
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IrreverentFangirl/pseuds/IrreverentFangirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Barry wasn’t able to believe his eyes. And from the looks of it, neither could Len. Len’s sister was perched on Cisco’s lap and Caitlin was resting her head on Heatwave’s shoulder. </p><p>Now he knew this wasn't his world, but what the hell kind of world was it?</p>
            </blockquote>





	In a World You Don't Know

**Author's Note:**

> So...this was a lot angstier than I intended it to be. Apparently my feels from the finale have yet to fade, even though it’s been months. Hope you enjoyed the fic - it was for ColdFlash week and hopefully there will be several more in the next few weeks. 
> 
> Disclaimer: I don’t own the Flash or any of its characters!

"Scarlet?" 

Barry jerked his body to see Captain Cold leaning against a brick wall. "Cold? What are you doing?" 

Cold's eyes narrowed. "I got sucked into that damn wormhole. What the hell happened, kid?" 

"Why should I tell you?" Barry demanded. 

Cold wrinkled his nose and crossed his arms over his broad chest. Barry noticed he wasn't wearing his parka for once. "Because I have a feeling you caused it." 

Barry spun around and slammed his fist into a brick wall. He stood there, breathing hard. He faced the wall, his head down, for a second before saying, “Harrison Wells was evil and my friend killed himself to stop him. This caused a rip in reality and I ran into it to try and stop it - I failed. You must have been sucked up by the singularity too, because I’m fairly certain this isn’t our world.” 

Barry didn’t bother to turn around, knowing what Cold’s face was going to look like. Shell-shocked, confused, mouth dropped, and eyebrows furrowed. What he had just said made little sense if you didn’t have context and Barry had offered Cold little. 

Therefore, he was surprised to hear Cold say, “Well, then let’s go to S.T.A.R. Labs, Scarlet. Perhaps your counterpart is there and can help us.” 

Barry slowly turned to Cold, blinking. “Wait, Cold - “ 

“Call me Len, kid,” Cold interrupted. “We don’t want to present ourselves badly and it would look good to this reality’s Flash if we were cordial.” 

Barry frowned before nodding. “Fine,” he said. “As long as you call me Barry.” 

Co - Len nodded, his expression solemn. “Fair,” he said. 

~ 

Twenty minutes later they found themselves at STAR Labs. Barry found himself actually getting along with Len. He was a villain, but it wasn’t that bad not bickering with him. Though that hadn’t stopped Len from making a pun at every chance he got; apparently that wasn’t part of his persona and Leonard Snart actually was a giant dork. 

They were surprised to be let into the lab without any suspicion from the guard. He had actually greeted them. Both of them, by name! 

But it wasn’t until they entered the lab that they were hit with the biggest surprise. 

Barry wasn’t able to believe his eyes. And from the looks of it, neither could Len. Len’s sister was perched on Cisco’s lap and Caitlin was resting her head on Heatwave’s shoulder. 

Now he knew this wasn't his world, but what the hell kind of world was it? 

“Um, we’re - “ Barry began, only to be interrupted by Caitlin. 

“Not our Barry and Len. Who the hell are you two?” 

Barry flinched. Taking a deep, fortifying breath, he began. “We’re from an alternate universe….” 

~ 

It was an hour later that he had explained everything that happened and answered all the questions. At the end of it, Mick had wrapped possessive arms around Caitlin’s waist and Lisa and Cisco were clasping hands. 

“Eddie’s really dead?” Caitlin asked, tears brimming in her eyes. “And Ronnie’s alive?”

Barry didn’t get to answer because at that moment Iris and Eddie walked in. “Uh, no I’m not?” Eddie said. “What kind of lies are you telling our friends, Barr?” He looked at Barry and Len with concern in his guileless blue eyes and Barry felt his throat close up. He had been so rude to Eddie in his world and now he regretted it so much. Eddie was the real hero in the group, not him. 

As that thought ran through his head he felt a large hand grasp his shoulder. He looked over to see Len staring at him with a strangely compassionate looking in his icy eyes. “I’ll explain it this time, Barry,” he said. 

Barry nodded, not able to force himself to speak. Len repeated what he had just told Team ColdFlash (which was apparently what the group called themselves) to Iris and Eddie. Barry watched as their eyes slowly filled with horror and he retreated into himself. Len didn’t move his hand from Barry’s shoulder and he didn’t bother to shake it off. 

Iris finally said, “Wow...that’s just. Wow. Our world is nothing like that. I mean we’ve been working together for years! I was the first person Barry told about being a meta, other than Len, and Len’s a meta too. And Len and Barry have been dating since Barry was twenty-two, which is...six years now.” 

Barry felt shock jolt through his body and when Len yanked his hand away from Barry’s shoulder, he immediately noticed and mourned the loss. It had been the only thing that grounded him and he missed it. He shook his head, that didn’t matter. 

Lisa looked at Len with wide green eyes. “We went bad, Lenny?” she asked. 

Barry saw Len go rigid with shock. There was an innocence to this Lisa’s voice that had not existed in their world. Their Lisa was all coy seduction and furtive glances at Cisco out of the corner of her eyes. Their Mick was not gentle or kind and would never hold somebody the way he was almost cradling Caitlin - their Caitlin would never let herself be cradled! And their Cisco had turned Lisa down several times and would never allow her on his lap. 

But these people weren’t theirs. Only Iris and Eddie were recognizable in personality to their own and even those two had subtle differences. The way they orbited each other, the glances that held paragraphs of thoughts, the comforting smiles. Barry’s Eddie and Iris hadn’t reached that point in their relationship and now they never would. 

Barry felt nauseous. This wasn’t his world, it was so much better. His friends weren’t dead, his strange attraction to Len wasn’t one-sided or wrong, and this him was happy. But he needed to go home. He couldn’t stay here and deprive this world’s Barry of this. 

He suddenly realized that he had missed Len’s reply and he tuned back in. Len was explaining what had happened in their world and there were tears streaming down Lisa’s tanned cheeks. 

Cisco looked at them, his normally cheerful expression solemn. “I think I can help get you home,” he said.


End file.
